Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Raj's Random Ramblings- 3

Variable pricing

There was a time when we could only fly Indian Airlines or
Air India. While the lack of choice caused misery in many ways, it made up partially
by providing peace of mind on the price of tickets. There was only one fare for
one sector and one class- whichever time of day or however early or late you booked
your tickets. You or your neighbor or a relative would pay the same fare.

Cut to the present. You’ll have to do some pretty exhaustive
research on the fares offered by different airlines on different routes and
different days. Then you’ll have to look up other online agencies who can offer
you better deals than even what the airline can offer. You must check the fares
for the previous or next 7 days (onward and return), as you could be saddled
with a higher weekend rate or whatever.
All these precautions are necessary, as you’ll always bump into some smartass
on the same flight who’ll tell you that he managed to get his ticket at a fare
that is Rs 12000 cheaper than yours and ruin your entire trip.

This
article predicts that the idea of dynamic pricing that is prevalent in the
airline industry could soon spread to the retail sector. Real-time, intrahourly
pricing is already practiced on sites like Amazon, eBay, etc and can be applied
to the rest of the retail space. So, you may spot a camera for $300 now and buy
it, only to find an hour later that it has dropped to $250. One has to be alert
and vigilant all the time. You can’t miss a good bargain when you spot one, nor
can you rush in believing there’s a bargain when there isn’t one. It will not
be enough to pick up something at a low price; you must pick it up at a price
lower than what your neighbor managed to. I’ve decided that if this system
comes into place, I’ll always claim that I purchased something at a price 25%
lower than what I actually paid for it. I’ll have to be seen as a smart hunter
of deals.

The Hindu crossword

Over the decades, I’ve met several crossword aficionadas who
would swear that the one published in The Hindu was the best. On many a train
journey, I’ve seen many a passenger engrossed with the cryptic clues.

Only recently, through this fascinating
article, I came to know that the first crossword-setter for The Hindu was
Admiral Katari, retired Chief of Naval Staff. Hitherto, newspapers in India had
merely copied and posted the crossword puzzles borrowed from publications
abroad. Admiral Katari took on this labour of love and did it with such
dedication to ensure that the Indianised crossword appeared every day – even when
he was travelling.

What I find amazing is that the man could do this so
passionately even though his name did not appear once. Either it was due to the
paper’s policy or because he desired anonymity. But day after day, readers
awaited his puzzle and pounced on it, oblivious to the identity of its creator.
What could have motivated him?

Psychopaths and politicians.

I wasn’t surprised to hear this, but this
article confirms that psychopaths and politicians have a lot in common. It says
that “traits that are common among psychopathic serial killers—a grandiose
sense of self-worth, persuasiveness, superficial charm, ruthlessness, lack of
remorse and the manipulation of others—are also shared by politicians and world
leaders. Individuals, in other words, running not from the police. But for
office. Such a profile allows those who
present with these traits to do what they like when they like, completely
unfazed by the social, moral or legal consequences of their actions."

Quite often, the set of skills required for constructive work
and destructive work can be the same. Recall that Mandrake, the magician and
his archrival the Cobra were trained in the same school of magic. One put it to
good use, the other to spread evil.The same
qualities that go to make a good leader can end up creating a dictator or a
tyrant who is consumed by his own sense of self-worth and power. All I can say
is, watch out.